Flying-machine.



L. DOBBERTIN FLYINGv MAGHINB.; APPL'IUATIGN FILED M'AY, 1911;

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

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`L. DOBBBRTIN.

FLYING MACHINE. .APPLIUATION FILED MAY', 191.1` l 1,015,150, 1 PatentedJan. 16,1912.

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L l L. DUBBERTIN.

A FLYING MACHINE. A-PPLIoATloN :FILED MAY 6,1911.

1,015,150. Patente@ @11.16, 1912.

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Louis DOBBERTIN, `of LAKE. CHARLES, VLOUISIANA.

FLYING-MACHINE.

Loraine.

Application filed .May 6, 1911. Serial No. 625,484.

Be it known that I, LoUis DoEn'riN, .a

citizen o-f the United States, residing at Lake Charles, in the parish of Calcasieu and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Flying-llachines,'of`which the following is a speci- This .invention relates to flying machines of the heavier-than-airtype, and its objects are tirstj-to provide a construction of mai chine wherein -a plurality of horizontal rudders areemployed which operate as supplementalsuppor-ting surfaces and by their arrangement increase the longitudinal stability of the machine and its sensitive-ness to. steering motion in a vertical plane and which are further designed to act as wind brakes in landing the machine and controlling the speed of motion thereof, second; to provide a novel construction and arrange'- ment of vertical rudders which increase the lateral steering qualities andserve to effectually prevent skidding lof the machine, third; to provide supporting surfaces of increased efficiency and adapted to render the machine to a larger extent inherently stable, one of which surfaces is made up of' sections adjustable to control the lateral stability, fourth; to.provide means whereby the machine will float and may be propelled to landin theevent of its descent into the water, and, finally, to provide a machine of generally improved construction and .general efficiency of action.

With these and other objects in view, the

nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully .described and claimed, refings, in which l I Figure l is a top plan view,`with parts removed, of lailying machine-embodying my inventiomshowing thefloats folded up.

erence being had .t the accompanying draw- Fio. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. 1l`igf3 is a vertical transverse sectionfon the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig.' 4. is a detail view illustrating-the construction of 'one ofthe vbearings and coacting trunnion. is a fragmentary per-l spective view ofthe upper lmain plane, illustrating a modification. `Fig. 6 is a top plan view ofone of` the wings of the lower main 'between the same and the forward end of 4the main frame. Depending from the front and rear of the main frame are brackets 4 having slotted standards 5 receiving the ends of .transverse shafts 6 on the extended ends of which are mounted wheels 7 to run along the surface of the ground. The

shafts areivertically movable in the slotted Specicaton'of Letters Patent.` Patented Jan, 16, 1912,(

plane, illustrating a modification. Fig. i.

standards and rods 8l projecting upwardly therefrom and slidably engaging openings in the body of the main f'frame, springs 9 being arranged about said rods between the the weight of the'body of the machine and permit the axles and wheels to have cushioningmovementsin running over inequalities of ground surface and' coming in contact with the earth in making a landing. Supported by the upright or vertical frame structure 2, which is reinforced from the main frame by suitable braces 10, is an up- "main frame/and shafts to normally sustain per main plane or supporting surface 1 1,

extending longitudinally at rightI angles to the line of flight and comprising laterally' extending wings 12 and 13 normally inclined at a slight angle downwardly and outwardly from their inner ends to their. outer extremities.

tudinally'tapering or partially conical secv tions 14 and 15, extending longitudinally in the direction-of length of the supporting surface,and alternately arranged so that Each of these wings preferably made up of a plurality of longithe sections 14 taper to points outwardly,

while the sections 15 taper to points in wardly,the bases or enlarged ends of. the sections 14 and points of the sections 15 meeting at thetransverse center of the supportingsurface, as shown. ByA this 'construction eachwing is corrugated or uted between its front and rear 'edges in such a way as to provide at any point in the transverse section of said wing air channels varying alternately in'A cross sectional dimensions and increasing alternately in dimensions respectively toward the inner and outer ends of the wing. 'Hence, the air striking thesurfaces of the Wings Will be caused to travel across the wings from front to rear and ytoward the inner and outer ends ofthe wings, thus distributing its pressure equally along the surfaces of the wings and preventing excess pressures from falling at any'point thereon. The pockets or channels formed by the flutes or corrugations also provide for the retention of the air for a determined period, tov secure the full eil'ect of its dynamical reactions, and to prevent to a large extent any sudden excess pressure upon any portionv of the surface of the plane, whereby either the lateral or longitudinal equilibrium of the machine is liable to be disturbed.

The ends of the wings are connected with 'the main frame by stay wires 16, each coll to allow sullicient slack motion toprevent possibility of breakage, in which action the nut 2O is adapted to act as a bumper to en-- gage the ears18 and limit the outward movements of the bolts, the springs serving when the excess pressure is dissipated to take up all slack in the wires and restore the normal position thereof. Each Outrigger or frame 3 is open to receive afcradle or frame 22 carrying a series of small wings, ailerons or balancing planes 23, which are of concavofcon- Y vex form at right angles to the line of flight and having their concave surfaces facing downward. Each' of these planes is provided at front and rear with trunnions 24 to turn in bearings 25 at the front and rear of the cradle 22, the rear truunions of the series of planes being provided with crank arms 26 connected by a link 2T with each other and with a lever 28,' by which all of the planes may be tilted outwardly or inwardly. The lever 28 is provided with a locking pawl or dog 29 to engage a rack 30, whereby it and all of the planes may be locked in adjusted position. The two cradles 22 aremounted upon a common rock shaft 31 extending across the main frame and longitudinally to the outer ends of the outriggers, said shaft being journalcd in hearings 32 to rock in a fore and aft direction.. Formed at an intermediate point upon the shaft is a crank 33 operatively connected with a foot stirrup or lever Jil-l. by which the shaft may be turned forwardly to adjust the cradles to rock the forward ends of all the ailerons downwardly 'or tilted rearwardly to rock the for- Ward ends of all the ailerons upwardly. By this vconstruction the ailerons may be adjusted lto ,vary their angle of incidence to covfront portion of the main frame' is an elevating plane or horizontal rudder 3G, said rudder being provided with trunnions 37 journaled in bearings 38 to tilt vertically in a fore and aft direction, and mounted in the same `manner upon the rear portion of the main frame is a' series of similar planes or rudders 39 which latter operate both as horizontal rudders and supporting surfaces.

"These planes correspond in shape to the ailerons 23 and are disposed lengthwise at rightangles to the line of flight, the trunnions at one'side of said rudders being provided with depending crank arms 40, all of which are connected by a link rod 4l, so that said rudders mav be adjustedin unison to control the forel and aft balance ofthe machine or to steer the same up and down in a vertical plane. The link rod is" connected by a crank arm 42 with a rock shaft 43 operated by a treadle or foot lever 44:, by which motion may be communicated thereto to adjust all of the .rudders in unison.v Bythis construction and arrangement of the horizontal rudders, which also act as supporting surfaces, it will be seen that sensitive control over the machine when vit tilts fore and .aft in 'either direction, or in guiding it up and down or making a landing, is secured.

Arranged in rear of the frame structure 2 and above the rear portion of the main frame is a vertical ruddercomprisinga pair lofspaced kite-shaped planes 45 connected -for movement 1n* unison by a link 4G and carried by rods 47 hinged at their lower ends to the rear cross bar of the main frame as vat 48. The upper e'nds o'f the rods #17 terminate in line with the upper ends of the vanes and are pivoted at 49 to rods or links 50, which are pivoted at their upper ends to the frame structure 2, as at 5l, the several rods being pivoted to allow the vanes to swing laterally in unison. The rudder vanes normally incline in an upward and forward direction and lying in planes parallel with the line of flight, and are adapted to he adjusted at an angle to the' line of flight-in eitherdirection 'laterally to steer the ma vchine horizontally lin one direction or the other. To the upper ends of the rods 47 are connected cords 52 and 53 which pass over guidepulleys-54 and are connected at their forward ends to a shoulder fork or other suit-able operating device55, whereby the' rudder may be operated.

Arranged at or about midway of the length of the main frame is a driving propeller 56 which rotates Vin the space bounded by the side bars of saidmain frame and is mounted upon a shaft 57 ingear with the shaft of a suitable driving motor 58. Dis-y posed beneath the main frame in longitudinal alinement with each other and in front and rear ofthe path of rotation `of the propeller are pontoons or iioats 58 and 59, which are similar in construction, each comprising a body of elastic material adapted to roll in collapsed form, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and to be expanded into cylindrical or other suitable form for use, as will be readily understood. Holders or'clasps, each comprising a painof semi-circular members G0, arel provided to engage and support the collapsed. iioats and are pivoted at their I lower ends to rods 61 carried by supporting brackets` 62, said membersbeing adapted to swing upwardly to engage vthe float and downwardly to' release the same. ,The free ends of themembers are provided with lugs y 63 to engage a latch 64, one end of which,i

forms an armature controlled by electromagnets 65, arranged in) a circuit 66, containing a suitable source of energy, such as a battery 67, for the magneto of the spark ing mechanism of th motor, the circuit' being normally open and adapted to be closed by ax switch 68 to energize the magnets and thereby retract the catches, to permit the pontoons. to' expand. Air compression pumps 69 are arranged to be oper-ated by the motor and have supply pipes-70 leading therefrom to the respective pontoons, whereby the latter may be charged with air and expanded to support the weight of the machine in a body of Water. Any suitable type of means may be employed to throw the pumps into and out of operation at will, or instead ofthe motor driven pumps hand# operated pumps of any suitable type maybe employed.` lf through accident or other-A wise the machine should fall into a body of water the aviator by closing the switch of the electric ci cuit may release the pontoons and charge t 1e same with air to keep the machine aiioat, and through the described arrangement of the propellerl 56, the latter lmay then be operated as a marine propeller to drivethe machine through the water to shore.

In practice, the trunnions or shafts of theailerons and wings are journaled in similar bearings, allotl which are alike in construction, each carryinga segmental lug 71 moving in a semi-circular slot 72 in the bearing and adapted to contact with lthe bottom walls thereof to limit the tilting movements A of the ailerons or rudders to a prescribed degree.

In Fig. 5 l have shown a modication in the construction of the upper main plane 11a, in which each wing of the plane is made up of a series 'of smaller planes 73 arranged one inv rear of the other. Each of these small planes 73 is curved forev and aft and is provided with trunnions 74 journaled in bearings 75 in a frame '52.a to rock or tilt in a fore and aft direction. The wings incline downwardly Vand outwardly as before described, a nd e'ach plane is corrugated to provide the tapering portions ,14 and 15, which alternate in arrangement across the wing, as in the structure disclosed in Figs. l, 2, and 3. Crank arms 7 6 are fixed to the trunnions at the inner ends of the small planes of each wing and the crank arms of each set are connected by a rod or link 77. Associated with each set-isa depending crank arm 78,v

to which is attached a rod or other connection 79 leading to a suitable operating devvicetnot shown) whereby the sets of planes may be simultaneously or independently ad-i justed to vary their angle of incidence or to cooperate with the ailerons .and horizontal rudders .to maintain thelongitudinal and lateral equilibrium of the machine.

In Figs. 6- and 7 I have'shownl a modification in the mode ofV mountingl and tilting the cradle 22 of each wing structure of the lower main plane'.` In this modification the central shaft 31 is dispensed with and the cradle is provided with trunnions 31a to turn in the bearings 32. Shafts 8O and 81also extend longitudinally of the Outrigger in front and rear of the cradle and carry pinions 82"which mesh with gear segments 83 on the cradle, whereby the latter is adapted to be tilted in a fore and aft direction. One of theshafts terminates at'its inner end in a crank S4 engaged by aconnection 85 which may be coupled to any suitable operating device by which-positive mot-ion may be transmitted to said shaft, the

other shaft forming a supporting medium,

as will be readily understood.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:- i y l. A flying machine having a supporting surface composed of laterally 'extending wings, each provided with a series of longitudinally extending pockets or channels, alternately increasing vand diminishing in depth respectively toward the ends of, thel wings. v

2. A flying machine having a supporting surface composed of laterally extending wings corrugated to provide longitudinally extending air channels between theirfront.

f ranged in longitudinal alinementwith each 'and diminishing vin depth respectively toward the ends of the plane.

5. In a flying machine, a supporting plane curved in a direction transversely thereof, andprovided with longitudinally extending pockets or channels, said pockets or channels increasing or diminishing in depth respectively toward the ends of the plane.

G. A flying machine comprising a main frame, head and tail frames, laterally ex.- tending wing frames arranged in advance of the main frame, asupporting device car ried by said main frame, a series of horizontal rudders mounted upon the head and tail frames, means for tilting saidrudders in unison, wings mounted upon the Wing frames to tilt laterally and longitudinally of the line of' flight, and means for. tilting said wings.

`'l'. A flying machine embodying a main frame, outriggers extending laterally from the main frame, cradles mounted upon the outriggers to tilt vertically in a fore and aft direction, a series of planes pivotally. mounted on each cradle to tilt vertically in a direction/transversely to the line of flight, and means for tilting the cradles and planes.

8. A flying machine embodying a main frame, outriggers extending' laterally from the main frame, cradles extending long1tu dmally at right angles to the line of flight and mounted upon the outriggers to tilt vertically in a fore and aft direction, a series of planes pivotally mounted on each cradle to tilt vertically in a direction at right angles to the line of' flightand independent devices for respectively controlling vthe cradles and sets of planes.

9. A flying machine embodying a mainframe, an upright frame rising therefrom, inclined -rods pivoted atI their rear ends to the rear end of the main frame, links connecting the forward ends of said rods to the rear portion of the upright frame, kiteshaped rudder planes carried by' tn: rods, connections between the rods to ada t the same to swing laterally in unison, an operating means for imparting lateral motion tliereto'n eith'er direction.

10. A flying machineincluding a main frame, normally collapsed inflatable pontoons carried by the main frame and arranged onein rear of the other, means for holding said pontoons collapsed, .means for releasing said holding means, and a drivin propeller arranged to operate between sai pontoons. a

11. A flying machine including a main frame, longitudinally extending normally collapsed pontoons arranged in tandem upon the main frame, means` for holding the same normallycollapsed, means for rendering the holding means inoperative to free the pontoons for lexpansion, and a driving propeller arranged tooperate between said pontoons.

12. A flying machine embodying a main frame extending longitudinally in the line of flight, an upright frame rising from said main frame, a supporting surface carried by said upright frame, outriggers extending laterally from the main frame, a longitudinal series of vertically tiltin horizontal planes mounted upon the main rame, means for tilting the same in unison, a plurality of horizontal planes mounted upon each outrigger to tilt vertically in b'oth a longitudinal and transverse direction, and means for tilting the same. i

18. A flying machine in cluding a frame, an inflatable pontoon supported thereby and adapted-to be rolled into normally collapsed condition, means for holding said pontoon collapsed, and electrically controlled means for releasing said holding means.

14a A flying machine including a frame, a normally collapsed flexible pontoon supported thereby, a latch 'for holding saidv pontoon in collapsed condition, an electro-4 magnet for retracting said latch and means for energizing said. magnets.

1 5. A flying machine includingA a frame, a normally collapsed inflatable pontoon carried thereby, means for holding saidpontoon collapsed, and electrically controlled means for releasing said holding means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS DOBBERTIN. Witnesses D. A. LnvnGUn, DAVID N. LEViNcs'roN. 

